Today is your day Boomer! I thought those days were over....as a history teacher for thirty years, I taught the horrors of the Holocaust, the rise of Hitler, and the extreme nationalism in Germany. Well, it's back. Sigh....in fact, if Germany held an election today, the relatively-new Alternative for Germany(AfG) Party would take 2nd place! One anti-AFG demonstrator echoes my thoughts: "I never thought such inhuman ideas would be gaining popularity in Germany again. I thought we had learned the lessons from our past." Apparently it is mostly young men that are latching onto this party, many from the old eastern part of Germany. And according to CTV News, "voters in Germany and across Europe are increasingly empowering far-right nationalist parties who promise to restrict immigration and, in some cases, constrain democratic freedoms of religion, of expression, of the right to protest." Syria, Turkey, and Afghanistan immigrants are trying to get into Germany by the hundreds of thousands every year. But in all of this...it is also the "other" people who are taking a stand this time. Over 3.5 million anti-AfG have participated in very-public demonstrations....something that never could have happened in the 1930s-40s in Germany. And I applaud them. Far-right Conservatism is taking a step forward in many nations, including the U.S.(Trump, again) and Canada....and they need to lose democratic elections. That means the "anti" protest is up to all of us....including Boomers and Seniors who vote in large numbers.
Today is your day Boomer! Relaxing in my hot tub this morning, I had reflections of the 1970 CCR song "Lookin' out my Back Door". Yes, that kind of druggy, but catchy song, about the view of your backyard. Mine is spectacular: colourful sunrises, big ponderosa pines, cheer, apple, fir, and weeping willow trees, two mountains, sheep and chickens next door, two frolicking golden retrievers, beautiful green grass and what seems like a thousand birds...including quail, pheasant, chickadees, woodpeckers, and blue jays. And what else? Well....the quiet, the solitude, and the chance for reflection with no sirens, car noise, yelling people, or neighbours invading your privacy. It was...is...just beautiful, and I am so blessed to live in a rural area in BC's Okanagan Valley. Boomers, what's out your back door? John Fogerty's "tangerines and elephants" or something like my cheeries and coyotes? Check it out and appreciate the little things in life. Cheers...

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